Bonding
by TornAngelWings
Summary: Cookies at Seventh Heaven disappear fast. Have no fear, Detective Marlene is on the case! Cloti and Mild Marlene/Denzel; 4/50 for the 50/50 Dictionary Challenge


**Disclaimer: I do not own! Why do you have to remind me?!**

**Cue sparkles!**

_Peanut butter cups, lollipops, gumdrops, peppermints, and chocolate bars…_

Marlene stared into the candy shop window, marveling over all the different sweets. A whole bunch of other kids were there too, pushing their dirty faces against the glass. She smiled and turned to Denzel, who was patiently waiting behind her. "Don't you wanna look?" She pointed at the candies with a wide grin.

"I'm not into sweet stuff." Denzel replied nonchalantly, kicking a rusty can between his feet.

"Oh really?" Marlene cocked a brow and put her hands on her hips. "So it's not you who eats all the sugar cookies that Tifa makes?"

"Nope." Denzel looked down at her, confused. "The only thing I like that's sweet is vanilla ice-cream."

Marlene frowned. _If he's not the culprit, I wonder who is…_ "Are you ready to head home then?" Marlene asked, a plan formulating in her corrupted (a la Yuffie) twelve-year-old brain.

"Sure." Denzel wasn't sure if he liked the not-so-innocent expression that cross Marlene's cherubic face.

**---Seventh Heaven**

"Marlene, hun, it's getting late. Start getting ready for bed, ok?" Tifa bent forward to remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Ten piping hot Chocobo-shaped sugar cookies revealed themselves to the world; Perfect works of art, in Tifa's opinion. "Cloud could you give me a hand? The spatula is by the sink." Cloud jumped down from the barstool and retrieved the utensil for the busty barmaid.

"Tifa, have you found out who's been eating your cookies?" Marlene asked innocently, twirling around in her pink nightgown.

"Not yet. But I'm narrowing down the suspects." Tifa winked. "C'mon Sweetie, I'll read you a bedtime story." She placed her hand on Marlene's head and led her up the stairs to her bedroom to read a story. She remembered her cookies, however, so she ran back down the stairs and put them into the cookie jar on the highest shelf. "Cloud, make sure no one eats them, ok?" She smiled when he nodded.

**---Midnight at the bar**

Marlene tip-toed quietly down the stairs of the bar. If her hunch was correct, the cookie thief would be down there right now, munching on a scrumptious sugar cookie.

Step, step, step, _creak._ Marlene hastily pulled her foot back. When she heard no footsteps she continued down the steps. She peaked around the corner, looking straight at the cookie-muncher. A ha!

She slinked back up the stairs and into Tifa's room. "Tifa Tifa Tifa Tifa!"

"Hmm?" Tifa rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What is it Sweetie?"

"I know who's been eating your cookies!" She twirled delicately around the foot of the bed. "Come see!" At the mention of her cookies, Tifa snapped out of bed and pulled on a robe over her Moogle PJs and took Marlene's hand.

They quietly tip-toed down the stairs. They stopped at the edge and Tifa looked around the corner…and giggled. She had to cover her mouth to muffle her laughs. She even snorted because she was laughing so hard.

Denzel sat as lookout, absentmindingly licking a spoonful of vanilla ice-cream. Cloud stood leaning over the counter stuffing Chocobo cookies in his mouth like they were going outta style.

"Cloud!" Tifa said with as much authority as she could muster in her laughing state. His head snapped up and he gave her a look not unlike a Chocobo caught in the headlights. Denzel froze in mid-lick.

Marlene giggled along with Tifa, who snapped a picture with a digital camera she had been hiding behind her back. "How cute! You two are bonding!"

Cloud grumbled as Tifa put the remaining cookies away. "You could've just asked, ya know." She winked and smiled at Cloud's embarrassed expression.

**The word was "sweet tooth"! I couldn't resist a little side of Marlene/Denzel with the Cloti. Marlene is just so cute! This is 4/50 of the 50/50 Dictionary Challenge. If you are interested in joining this challenge, send me a quick PM. While you're at it, check out ****xRiikox. She joined the challenge, and right now I believe she had a Relena one-shot done. It was very well-written.**

**Love and Rockets,**

**TornAngelWings**


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